


Study Buddy

by PastelTrashKing (AnthonyEStark)



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Short One Shot, based on a tumblr prompt, rei and nagisa and gou appear briefly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 15:19:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4840421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnthonyEStark/pseuds/PastelTrashKing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I am actually good at math but the math tutor is really hot so I’m pretending to be dumb.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Study Buddy

It was lunchtime and the Iwatobi swim team were eating on the roof, like usual. There was five minutes until the end of lunch and they were going to start going back to class, when Gou burst through the door, making Makoto and Rei jump.

“Haven’t you guy heard the news?” She asked, almost yelling, while waving a piece of paper around.

“What news?” Nagisa replied with his mouth full, earning a glare from Rei, as the other two just shrugged their shoulders.

Gou shoved the piece of paper inches away from Nagisa’s nose, “If any of us fail the test at the end of this week, then the club will be shut down!”

“What?” Nagisa threw the paper at Rei instead of reading it, “They can’t pick on us like that!”

“It’s the same for every club. I want the swim club to have the best results out of everyone so all of you have to study for this test like your lives depend on it!”

Haru decided to tune out of the conversation at that point because he knew he would pass the test, and didn’t plan on studying more than he had to the night before. He saw how Makoto started packing the remains of his lunch away and decided to do the same himself so that he would be ready to walk with Makoto back to class when the bell went.

“Rei-chan,” Haru didn’t even have to look over to know that Nagisa had puppy-dog eyes. “Can I study with you after practice this week?”

As Rei replied, “You study round my house on most days anyway,” Haru realised that he now had a perfect excuse to spend more time with Makoto.

“Yay! Thank you, Rei-chan!”

The bell went and they all said their goodbyes before going their separate ways. Just before he reached his class, Haru spoke up in - what he hoped was - an uninterested voice, “I should study with you this week, Makoto.”

“I thought you were good at maths?”

“I’m not sure about some things and I’d rather be safe than sorry.” Haru slowed down his pace so that he’d have longer to speak, “I don’t want the club to stop.”

“Okay, we’ll start our revision tonight.” Makoto smiled at Haru and then walked into the class, not noticing the small, proud smile on Haru’s face.

Once after-school swim practice had finished, Haru had completely forgotten about going round Makoto’s house. He went to go to his own house and almost kicked himself when Makoto reminded him, “Aren’t we supposed to be revising together tonight, Haru?”

Now he was in Makoto’s room and he couldn’t help but feel awkward as he looked down at the sheet of questions he needed to complete. He’d been there many times before but this was definitely the most uncomfortable he’d ever felt.

Makoto would realise that he knew what he was doing if he started to fill in the sheet, so he shuffled closer to Makoto instead, pretending he was looking at the other guy’s work.

“Are you okay, Haru?”

Haru didn’t want to look up because he knew Makoto’s face was just inches from his own, “I don’t know what to do.”

Makoto moved closer to point at the sheet with his pen and explain, but Haru didn’t care because they were really close. Even though he enjoyed the moment, he was worried Makoto would realise he’s not listening and then move away, so he tried to remember to keep nodding every now and then.

Makoto looked up and Haru made the mistake of looking into his eyes as he asked, “Do you understand yet?”

Haru didn’t realise until a moment later that Makoto was talking to him, but must have looked so lost that the other guy took his silence as a no. He continued the explanation and if Haru rested his cheek slightly on Makoto’s shoulder, then he must have not noticed. They were far too close for comfort and Haru wanted to do so much more, like brushing Makoto’s hair out his face or resting his head fully on the shoulder.

The top of his head bumped Makoto’s neck and his brain immediately short-circuited and he wimped out. He interrupted whatever Makoto was saying and thanked him for the lesson, grabbing his stuff as he babbled out excuses - not missing the brief, hurt expression on Makoto’s face. As he ran back to his own house, Haru vowed to tell Makoto that he lied about being bad at maths tomorrow.

The next day he ended up sitting closer to Makoto and vowed again to tell him the next day.

The rest of the week didn’t go to plan either. Haru spent everyday trying to sit even a tiny bit closer to Makoto before running away and telling himself that he will tell Makoto he was lying about needing to study the next day. By the time the day of the test came around, Haru hadn’t studied at all and felt like the worst friend ever - yet it didn’t stop him wanting another excuse to stay with Makoto for longer after school.

After the test, Makoto immediately leaned over to Haru’s desk with a puzzled look on his face.  “You didn’t seem to be struggling on your test at all.”

Haru took longer than necessary putting away his pencils so that he could hide the blush creeping across his face. “You should have been focusing on your own test, not looking over at me.”

“I wanted to make sure you knew what to do, considering how you weren’t listening whenever I was teaching you.”

Haru looked up at Makoto with wide eyes and noticed that he looked amused instead of annoyed, like Haru had expected. It hit him then that Makoto had known all along. “I have something I was meant to tell you ages ago,” he averted his eyes back to his desk and went to finish his sentence but Makoto beat him to it.

“You didn’t really need to study with me at all.”

“Yeah,” Haru saw how Makoto’s mouth twitched up into a smile and decided that he should be honest with him. “I just wanted to spend time with you.”

“You’re always with me, you didn’t have to make up a reason to hang out with me.” Makoto’s sudden laugh made Haru - and a few other people in the class who were leaving - turn around in surprise. Once the other people had resumed what they were doing before, Haru was the only person still looking at Makoto and he felt his face flush darker as he was struck with how relieved he was that he hadn’t made his best friend hate him.

“I don’t mind though, I would have done the same.” Makoto wiped away a small tear that was threatening to spill from the corner of his eye and he now had a fond look on his face that made Haru’s stomach do flips.

He managed to tear his eyes away from Makoto to look out the window instead and heard how the other guy started packing away his pencils too. “Can I come round your house again tonight?”

“Of course you can, Haru.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the quickest fic I’ve ever written so it’s probably really bad... (I also have a tumblr - pasteltrashking - if you want to talk to me~)


End file.
